Turkish Grammar › Noun Case Suffixes
Uzaklaşma Durumu (-DAn)
Ablative Case
Level A1Noun Case Suffixes
The ablative case shows where a movement starts, its point of departure or its source.
The ablative is used to show where a movement starts, where a person or thing comes from, or the source of something. In Turkish it is made with the endings -dan, -den, -tan and -ten.
The form of the ending depends on the last sound of the word. Words with back vowels take -dan or -tan, words with front vowels take -den or -ten. If the word ends in a voiceless consonant (ç, f, h, k, p, s, ş, t), -tan or -ten is used. For example evden, okuldan, parktan, ağaçtan, işten.
If the word ends in a vowel, the ablative ending is added directly. For example arabadan, odadan, masadan, köyden.
The ablative is used most often with verbs like çıkmak, gelmek, dönmek, ayrılmak, kaçmak and inmek. For example: Okuldan çıkıyorum. İşten geliyorum. Otobüsten iniyoruz.
This ending does not only show leaving a place. It can also show the source of something, the material it is made of, or its cause. For example: Dedemden bir hediye geldi. Sahilde kumdan kale yaptık. Soğuktan üşüyorum.
Some verbs require the ablative because of their meaning. Verbs like korkmak, nefret etmek, şüphelenmek and vazgeçmek take it: Köpekten korkuyorum. Bu fikirden vazgeçtim.
The ablative answers the questions «Nereden?» (from where), «Kimden?» (from whom) and «Neyden?» (from what). If those questions fit a sentence, the ablative is usually being used.
Examples
- Otobüsten iniyorum.I am getting off the bus.
- Geçen hafta tatilden döndük.We came back from holiday last week.
- Marketten ekmek aldım.I bought bread from the shop.
- Dedem köye taştan bir ev yaptı.My grandfather built a stone house in the village.
- Karanlıktan korkuyorum.I am afraid of the dark.